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SINGAPORE – Self-sanitizing coatings have been applied to toilets and overhead storage compartment handles on Singapore Airlines (SIA) aircraft as the airline prepares to take more passengers on board.
The airline is also working with authorities on Covid-19 testing protocols, with more details to be announced at a later date.
These are in addition to previously announced measures, as a push toward using the technology for contactless travel, SIA told The Straits Times on Tuesday (Nov. 17), ahead of the launch of the first air travel bubble flights. to Hong Kong.
Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Yeoh Phee Teik said SIA has been gathering feedback on passenger concerns so it can address them.
“We have also taken it upon ourselves to visualize the customer journey from one end to the other … and imagine that we are the customer arriving at the airport,” he said.
“All of these inputs guide us on how we can continue to intensify our efforts to ensure, and reassure our customers, that travel is safe.”
SIA CEO Goh Choon Phong had previously listed various initiatives to improve passenger safety, in an interview with ST in June.
These measures are intended to cover the entire flight process, from passing through immigration and boarding a plane, to disembarking.
Most of the planned measures have been implemented, Yeoh said Tuesday.
For example, travelers can now access the SIA website to learn about Covid-19 travel restrictions and requirements in the cities that SIA flies to.
Passengers can also use their mobile phones to access SIA’s onboard menu and its digital library.
Other precautions required by the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority, such as mandatory use of masks and simplified meal service, remain in effect.
Yeoh said the SIA will continue to work with regulators on the necessary safety requirements for flights during the pandemic.
He added that SIA is confident that all these measures will come together to create a safe environment for travelers to fly.
He declined to reveal details about the number of crew and passengers who were infected with Covid-19 on SIA flights, but cited studies that have shown that the risk of infection on board an aircraft is low.
“The high-efficiency particulate air filters, the renewal of the air supply in the plane every two or three minutes, the seats acting as a barrier, the passengers with masks … I think it is enough to make many passengers feel confident and secure about Fly with SIA, “he said.
While health experts have previously pointed to airplane toilets as an infection risk, given that there are commonly touched surfaces such as door handles and toilet flushes, Yeoh said SIA has tried to address this.
In addition to the antimicrobial coating applied to various surfaces, SIA’s cabin crew clean toilet door handles with a disinfectant that has been shown to kill the Covid-19 virus, he said.
When asked whether the cost of such additional measures will be passed on to passengers, Mr. Yeoh said: “No, this health and safety protocol is a fact from the point of view of passenger requirements.”
“It is our duty to ensure that the journey they have with us is safe from start to finish … it is a very integral part of the overall customer experience.”
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